OVER IT - for real this time

I am beyond frustrated with Ryan Homes and NVR mortgage right now. When we originally signed our Sales Agreement and applied with NVR in May the interest rate was 3.25% - which was great, we were getting the house we wanted at the price that we wanted to pay per month…Well that has completely went to heck in a hand basket! Now we are 6 weeks into construction and 72 days away from our estimated closing date, things are behind schedule, framing hasn’t started so who knows when we will have our pre-drywall meeting so we can lock in a rate – and who knows how high the average rate will be by then! The average rate right now is 4.55% and that increases our mortgage payment by about $200 a month. I don’t want to be house broke! And even if we could lock in a rate any time soon I’m not sure that we could since we haven’t even received and approval from NVR and it’s been 90 days!! That’s right – 3 months!! They are so inefficient that they can’t review and confirm our information in 3 months? My husband and I were talking over this last night and had decided to email our SR to see if we could make changes to reduce the price of the home (from finished basement to unfinished/hardwoods to vinyl) this is about an $18K difference. I emailed her this morning and I’m waiting on a response. I’m just over it and to be honest if NVR decides to deny us I would be happy because I am just so sick of having to worry about it…again it’s been 3 months! We’ve talked to another builder in the area and I’m 100% positive that things would go a lot smoother with them. I hate the thought of having to start over completely and wait another 6 months, but we may not have a choice if things keep going this way. Oh and to top things off we asked 2 questions at our preconstruction meeting 6 weeks ago and no one has even bothered to provide an answer- and they want us to complete a survey rating our experience? Ok, bring it on.

Something is better than nothing

Ok, so I called our LP today and she called back not long ago to let me know that she hadn't received a decision from the underwriter (ugh!)- However, she also let me know that she had already contacted her manager in regards to our file - She said that it has taken longer than she would normally expect so she has requested that her manager get in contact with the underwriter. I let her know that I have been worried about it because I wasn't sure if I needed to line up another lender- the LP reassurred me that there was no need to worry and that she hadn't seen anything that would give her any reason to have concern and everything would be fine. This is a relief, but I will feel even better when I get a response after her supervisor talks to the underwriter, which I really hope is today or tomorrow.

I also emailed our PM this morning and asked what was next on the agenda. He told me that the footers were pinned by the surveyor yesterday and he was expecting the poured wall crew to be at lot 29 on Friday or Monday because they are scheduled to close before us. Once their walls are done they will start on ours and he hopes to have the forms set by Thursday of next week. That's 2 weeks from when they poured the footings. I know that the heavy rain from a few weeks ago caused some delay, but it seems like every other blog that I've read had their footers and walls poured only days apart from each other. Well, I guess I won't have anything to report for the next week.

I'm glad that I finally have something to tell my husband because every time he calls he asks if I have heard anything about the loan and house...and everyday I've had to tell him "no".

Out with the old and in with the new??

A few weeks ago I received a flyer in the mail from Charter, which is my cable/internet provider. The flyer offered their bundled package for $86 per month. Wait what? Why am I paying $150 a month for the exact same service? This prompted me to give Charter a call and I told them about the flyer I received and that I was interested. Well the CSR than began to tell me - "This deal is only available for our new customers."- Wait what? You mean to tell me that because I'm already an existing customer that I have to pay almost twice the amount for the same service? Wouldn't you want to keep your existing loyal and paying customers satisfied? Needless to say I'm looking into other providers.

Ok so it seems a similar scenario has been presented by Ryan Homes- Our neighborhood just opened 16 sites in their Phase 2. This was advertised via flyers that were posted in the neighborhood. On this flyer RH offers not only the free finished basement (which we received) but also a FREE stainless side by side fridge and a washer and dryer! Wait what? So again the "new customers" get an additional bonus? Aren't we technically still a "new customer" since our home isn't even complete? Shouldn't Ryan Homes offer this bonus to the families and new customers that have just started construction or are still in the process? I hope I'm not coming across as greedy because that's not my personality, but it would be nice if Ryan Homes said," Hey, since we are offering this bonus to potentially new customers, we would also like to offer this to our already new customers that are still building with us." There hasn't even been any lumber delivered to our site and already we're being considered as "old" customers? One would think that Ryan Homes would want to keep customers that are still in the building process happy and satisfied since the surveys won't be completed until the building process and closing is done. My feelings are hurt and I'm feeling a little discarded- shame, shame RH.

54 Days with NVR

NVR has had our loan application and info for 54 days...Last Thursday the LP said that the underwriter was requesting our verification of rent (this is in addition to a copy of our lease agreement and all rent receipts since November 2011- I supplied these at the initial meeting). So I emailed our LP on Monday to follow up and she responded saying that our current landlord was returning the rent verification today and once it was received everything would be submitted back to underwriting.

I just do not understand what the deal is. This is a VA loan, I've been at my job for 5 years, our credit isn't bad, and we don't have much debt other than a car payment. Seriously, I work in finance so I know that they have to take many things into consideration, but come on!

When we started looking for homes we had already contacted and started the process with Veterans United, but we decided to go with NVR when we chose to move forward with Ryan Homes in an attempt to keep everything easier. So how's that working out for me??? Not so well apparently. So what happens if NVR decides they don't want to approve us? I then have to start the entire process over again with Veterans United because the past 2 months have been a waste of time!

I really want this house and it brings tears to my eyes to write this...But if I would've have known that we would have to wait almost 2 months for the approval I don't think I would've wanted to move forward. I'm a mother of 4 children and I work full time- I have more than enough worry to keep my nerves worked up without the added stress of this NVR loan process. They haven't requested too much additional information, and the LO and LP have both been very nice and always answer my calls/emails, but 54 days of waiting and not knowing and being unsure about everything is just too much. Seriously,  this house is going to be the future home for my family and I need to know what the heck is going on!

Break and Dig. Yippie!

I drove by the lot on my way home and ta-da...there is mess of dirt! I stopped and took this picture with my phone. After dinner I got the camera and went back over and took a few more, but I have to get a card reader before they can be uploaded. However, since I'm impatient and want to share them now I decided to use my phone to take a picture of the picture! Yeah, I'm a dork- never claimed to be anything different....I have to thank God for this because I know without him none of this would be possible :) I really love the beautiful trees and can't wait to see them this fall, they will be so pretty!

This is starting to feel real....Guardian and Rite Rug appointment

So I have to admit that it's been a little unreal to me when I think about owning our own home and even more unbelievable that we will be building a new home! We have been renting for so long and it has really kept me from putting personal touches into existence. However I can honestly say that this  is all starting to feel real and I couldn't be happier. The thought of my family being in our new home makes me so full of joy! The twins and Shel love going to the model home and they have been talking about what they want in their rooms. As a mom this makes me feel so good to know that they are as happy and excited as I am. I really want the best for our family and I know this is it! I hope I hear good news from NVR this week, but either way I'm going to trust God no matter what :)

Ok, so we had our apt with Guardian and Rite Rug yesterday. I would say that both appts went well, except that we added things that we didn't intend on adding originally. No worries though because all in all they were good investments.

First was Guardian and Brian was the rep who laid it all out for us. I was floored at how much home security has advanced. I had no clue that a security system could tell if someone was breaking a window in your house! Call me nerd, but I think that is rad! So we decided to have Guardian security installed and included the glass break monitoring. I feel good about it and can't complain one bit about spending the additional money because keeping my family safe is priceless. We also decided to have TV mounted in the family room, this is a guy thing, but glad because it will eliminate those awful cords. Cable in the family room, basement, and master bedroom. Data lines in the living room (office) and family room. Phone line in the kitchen. This experience was pleasant and painless, and Brian was super.

Next on the list was our appt with Debra at Rite Rug and she was great, she really knows her stuff and she is also fun. We ended up bring along Shel and the twins- Ummmmm, this was a test to make sure my anxiety meds were working lol...They weren't bad, but they were into everything! Debra was fine about it and even went straight Mommy on them at one point which was great because they listened immediately...Anyways I thought I had my mind made up before getting to the appointment, well that's what I get for thinking. Again everything we upgraded made sense and will be a good investment.  We upgraded the Hardwood to the 3 1/4" Mocha, which is a warm dark brown and it's beyond beautiful! Can't wait to see this on the floor. We also upgraded the carpet and padding in the living room and family room to a Level B, the color is also Mocha something, and it's a brown. I would have liked a light carpet to contrast with the hardwood, but that's just not realistic with our kiddos. The upgraded carpet will also be on the stairs and upstairs...This upgrade is definitely worth it because it will be stain resistant and also have a 10 yr warranty. Next is the secondary bath and we chose to have the floor and the bath surrounded with Level A tile in almond. I think it will look nice with the white grout,white tub, toilet and vanity. The laundry room is vinyl, not sure of the name, but it's a reddish brownish color. The master bath will also have tiled floors and surround. We had already planned on a Level C upgrade for this. We picked the Truffle tile with the Antigua calypso accent listello. The twins were right up in the mix at this time and I was a little frustrated because I wasn't able to really focus, but I like my choices. The truffle is a darker brown tile and the accent is beautiful, it's a mixture of tans and golds and has an iridescent sheen to it. Really looking forward to seeing this all together. The final selection was the basement carpet and we stuck to the base carpet in a color similar to the Mocha in the rest of the house. All in all I can say that I'm happy with the choices, just shocked that everything we selected was brown, I hope it all looks ok in the end and not an overload of brown.

The beginning of our Venice...the entire reason behind my urge to blog.

Let me begin "The beginning of our Venice" by admitting that I have never, not even once, at any time felt the need to create a blog....until we made the decision to build with Ryan Homes.

It all started in May when we finally stopped by the Ryan Homes Model in our area. After that day the addiction of choosing options and understanding the process began. I have read so many blogs about others sharing the details and experiences while building their home, and to be honest I'm hooked! So with that being said, I am inspired to have my own blog to record the process and maybe even help someone else that has the same uncontrollable curiosity as myself. I already write EVERYTHING in my day planner, so this is the same concept, only public :)

May 20, 2013 - The model and the list of options

 

So we've been looking to buy a home for a about 12 weeks at this point. We were searching the net for homes in our area, driving through neighborhoods that we like, stopping at the homes that have the information papers available and then laughing at either the ridiculous pricing or at the ridiculous interior. Seriously what are some people thinking?? Well after a few good laughs and an afternoon with no kids we decided to stop by the Ryan Homes model in a nearby neighborhood. We were greeted with the Sales Rep, Jessica,  opening the door and exclaiming, "Welcome home!". She let us walk around and "oh" and "ah" amongst ourselves. Well it was mainly me making all the noises. Anyways, after checking things out thoroughly we left for home. A few days went by and we ended back at the model home and looked around once more before letting the SR know that we were really interested. This is when we put a hold on the lot we wanted and answered a few questions about options. I asked the SR if there was a list of options that I could have and go over at home over the weekend to get a better idea about what I wanted. This is when the obsession started.

Coming into this I was as cool as a cucumber. I like to see myself as a kinda "go with the flow" type of gal. Others, including my newly obtained husband would beg to differ. He might would say that I'm a full serving of crazy paired with a generous portion of OCD, but who cares what other people think right? Right! Ok, so I was relaxed and nonchalant before starting the "options" project. Once I had that list of options I had to know precisely what these options looked like in other Ryan Homes. I have spent so much time looking at pictures and reading these blogs! I wanted to know what options others had chose and how these looked put together in the finale, and if they loved it or didn't. All of the information helped me decide on my options, which I will list in a separate post because I want to add pictures and ideas - I'm a nerd and can entertain myself for hours!

Anyways, we signed the sales agreement on May 20th. Our SR Jessica is super and I want to be her bff because she is funny and smart, but I know it will never work because we are in different places in our lives. I'm a cat person and have a husband and kids, she is single and likes dogs...just won't work, sad shame...ANYWAYS, we left the model home with a signed sales contract and high hopes about our future home. A home that would be built with our custom options, in a neighborhood that we love! Excited!!! I can hardly wait!


Our home site :)